Writing Skills Builder (Study Smart)

These consumable workbooks systematically cover basic writing skills. Starting with mechanics (capitalization, punctuation), the 50 60 worksheets provide teaching segments coupled with practice. There is a part-to-whole approach that is reflected in both the daily exercises and in the overall organization. For instance, in Level 3 one exercise has the student forming complete sentences by incorporating three words while the next exercise instructs the child to "Look around. Write four sentences that tell what is happening." Another example from Level 6, four consecutive lessons on writing introductory paragraphs: using questions, using descriptive vocabulary, using dialogue, and restating the prompt. Progression within each level starts with sentences and moves into paragraph-writing skills. Progression within the series starts with basic sentence construction skills, introduces descriptive writing and ultimately covering comparison, persuasive, narrative and expository writing. Each level includes two mini writing projects which give the student an opportunity to apply multiple skills to a single assignment. For instance, a project from Level 4 asks the student to start with verse lyrics from a favorite song, then make the verse better by telling why, where, when and how. A second part of the assignment involves the verse and connecting words. Although not particularly glitzy or glamorous, this series does provide a get-the-job-done progression and good practice of skills. A complete answer key is provided. 127 pgs, pb. ~ Janice